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WarpObscura · 2006-01-29, 23:52

One thing that has me confused is the large variety of names of MS in Gundam. Some of them seem to make less sense than others.

Gundam Development Project - All named after flowers... But they do not seem to correspond to the characteristics their namesake plants have...
PMX units - Messala is a character in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Asterisk (WTF?)... Pallace/Pallas Athene seems to refer to Athena... Bolinoak Sammahn (WTF?) seems to lack non-Gundam references... The O is the nickname of The Original Hot Dog Shop (WTF?)
Gyan - Some yoda thing, some "Global Youth Action Network" thing, etc. (WTF?)
Gaza - There is a Gaza Strip, but that seems to have absolutely no relationship with the Axis/Neo Zeon line of TMS...
Hyaku Shiki - "Type 100"... Well, it certainly failed in that expectation...

Nemo - I fail to see what this has to do with 20000 Leagues Under The Sea's Captain Nemo...
Methuss - No findable non-Gundam references on my end...

Definitely in no order... Well, there are simply far too many for me to list... So if anyone could help to correlate the MS name to its namesake and how it fits (or does not), that would be much appreciated. Please leave the Greek-Letter Gundams (Zeta, Nu, Xi, whatever else) out, thank you.

wingdarkness · 2006-01-30, 02:07

Damn can't remember who, but before the hack sombody listed alot of the name correlations as it pertains to Gundams and characters...Some of the material I've read seems to suggest that nearly every name and Gundam has a specific reasoning and//or cultural significance behind it...I remember someone talking about Djbril's name meaning Dark Angel or something in Hebrew or some other middle-eastern derivitive...

DESTINY might be the funniest MS name for the simple fact it has the dubious distinction of being the first full-series Gundam ever that has the same name of the series yet isn't the title-Gundam...Where's VCV when you need him, I think he knows a bit about this...

Since there's no way I can help you, I thought maybe I'd mention some MS names I wish I knew what they meant...

PROVIDENCE (Just sounds so cool...That $hit's a city in Rhode Island)

BLITZ (Most underrated MS in the C.E. and i guess a pretty damn good Linebacker)

TALLGEESE (Mosty elegant MS around)

Gundam PHYSALIS, DENDROBIUM and ZEPHYRANTHES (???????????????????)

ALPHA AZIERU and SAZABI (CCA...Both ridiculously impressive designs and capabilities...So big and blocky yet so agile and armament heavy...)

RICK DIAS (Seriously who the hell is Rick?? I mean Rick must be one bad mofo to build such a lightweight yet sturdy MS...Didn't see too many mexicans in Zeta, but perhaps...)

HAMMA HAMMA (from ZZ, isn't that like "hummuna hummuna" what Peter Griffen says when he is about to say something outlandish?)

and finally HIZACK (Did "Zaku" lose in marbles or something that year??

)

There are so many more I can list (like damn near every suit name in Victory), but that's enuff for now...

WarpObscura · 2006-01-30, 02:50

Jibreel, also spelt "Jabril" or "Djibril", is Arabic for Gabriel. In Islam, Jibreel is the angel who revealed the Qur'an/Koran to Muhammad, amongst other achievements, and is thus considered the most prominent.

Providence refers to the concept of the control of the deity/ies over the followers of a religion. In a way, it is suitable for a Rau-machine, given that he wanted to have control by making both EAF and ZAFT blow each other up.

Blitz is German for lightning, flash and a host of other things. It is supposed to be a fast, agile suit, which it seems to be in its stealth role.

Tallgeese... No idea. Geese are not very fast-flying birds, for one...

All four (yes, including Gerbera) Gundam Project Gundams are named after flowers. Zephyranthes is a genus of 70 species of lilies, native to both American continents. Physalis aka ground/winter-cherry is a flowering plant that has an orange fruit, found in subtropical climates. Dendrobium is a large genus (~1200 species) of orchids, found in diverse habitats. Gerbera is a genus belonging to the sunflower family. How they correlate to their MS, I do not know.

Azieru is peculiar, but what is interesting is the name of Sazabi. Why Char never took the name of the Zabi family out of it, we may never know.

Rick is, according to MAHQ, derived from "remake", just like with Rick Dom and Dom. Dias is supposed to supposed to be the guy who discovered the Cape of Good Hope. Why there is only a Rick Dias, and no MS-099 Dias, we may never know either.

Well, yeah...

~~mangatron~~ · 2006-01-30, 02:50

lol wingdarkness, the 0083 Gundam's were named after flowers. I'm so glad they didn't name one "Zinnia", lol it reminds me of a friend in Germany who had that name. And he's male

Closest I can come up with for Rick Dias is Ricky Deez, a commentator.

Heavyarms has got to be the most descriptive name ever LOL

And a Winged Gundam? Yeah, Wing Gundam did have wings

....

I can't get over "Leo". I mean, Leonardo Di Caprio sure didn't have a hand in this, and leave that Da Vinci out of this lol

Did "Dom" mean anything? At least GSD did make something out of it

There are others to discuss

......

WarpObscura · 2006-01-30, 03:02

Dom can be short for "Document Object Model", a specification for representation of Web hypermedia, but what does THAT have to do with it?

Why do they call Gouf Custom and GM Custom "Custom" when they are not basic MS that have been "Custom"-ised by specific pilots for superior performance?

Does the "Alex" in RX-78NT1 mean anything? Is it just the name of one of the relatives of someone on the design crew?

*Types in "Adzam" on Google, hits "I'm feeling lucky* "Adzam Auto Sales is a New Year Chrysler dealer". WTF?

monster · 2006-01-30, 03:03

Quote:

I can't get over "Leo".

I liked the fact that GW used some Zodiac names for some of its MP suits to be used by the Organization of Zodiac. Back then, I thought nothing was cooler than to have Pisces and Cancer be the names of amphibious ms in the age of space warfare.

wingdarkness · 2006-01-30, 03:45

Dang, you seem pretty good at this Warp, you're answering your own question...

Guess i'll throw out a couple more...maybe you know those too...

GELGOOG

Z'GoK

(Battleship) Gwaden

GARPLANT (Piloted by Yazan the "love-to hate" Oldtype)

GEDLEV (*shakes-head*)

And no I'm not reading a MS dictionary I actually thought of all these "G"-GUNDAMS

...

It seems like GX has alot of understandable named suits....
X, DOUBLE-X, AIRMASTER, LEOPARD (hmm relationship to Leo?

), G-falcon, Wallaby...morso than the other series me thinks...

@mangatron - I guess you mean Rick Dees the Pop DJ...and I should be sent to the Zanscare Guillotine for knowing that

...

WarpObscura · 2006-01-30, 06:54

I know where the names of the GP Gundams come from, but I do not see how the Gundams MATCH UP to the characteristics of their originating flowers. There is supposed to be significance to the names, but I do not see how the origin corresponds to what it can do. That is the issue here.

Leopard is supposed to suggest something adept at hunting, and I wonder if it fulfills the role as a hunter (vis-a-vis an artilleryman)...
Wallaby suggests a child hiding in a pouch. You do not see Daughtress HMs floating around in pouches, do you?

Hmm... If anyone knows the naming trend for Scirocco's PMX series, please do inform us...

Komataguri · 2006-01-30, 07:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarpObscura

I know where the names of the GP Gundams come from, but I do not see how the Gundams MATCH UP to the characteristics of their originating flowers. There is supposed to be significance to the names, but I do not see how the origin corresponds to what it can do. That is the issue here.

Leopard is supposed to suggest something adept at hunting, and I wonder if it fulfills the role as a hunter (vis-a-vis an artilleryman)...
Wallaby suggests a child hiding in a pouch. You do not see Daughtress HMs floating around in pouches, do you?

Hmm... If anyone knows the naming trend for Scirocco's PMX series, please do inform us...

pick out 50 big words from a dictionary and write them on 50 pieces of paper

dump them in a hat

pick out 1-3 pieces

arrange to suit.

Thats what it seems like to me, atleast

J_Ridden · 2006-01-30, 07:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarpObscura

Leopard is supposed to suggest something adept at hunting, and I wonder if it fulfills the role as a hunter (vis-a-vis an artilleryman)...

Hmm... I thought Leopard was an allusion to Leopard Tank

I can see the allusion for Orchis and Stamen (Orchis beeing the flower and Stamen the "core" of the flower (actualy, it's the male organs of the flower).
My botanical knowledge is limited, so for the other GP's I can't see how their names correspond to the characteristics of the suits.

Edit: Dom means "dumb" in flemish, but I don't think it has anything to do with the suit

Scorch · 2006-01-30, 10:05

Gelgoog Jager means Gelgoog Hunter (rough translation). Kampher comes out as fighter or champion.

I remember hearing that Zakus were named Zakus because that's the sound they make when they walk, but I can't remember who it was who said that. I want to say it was Tomino in an interview.

Edit: I think Dom had something to do with cathederal.

Last_Hope · 2006-01-30, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorch

Edit: I think Dom had something to do with cathederal.

Is Domchurch a "real" word in english?

I know there is something called domkyrkor in Swedish which directly translated would be Domchurch.

BigPrime · 2006-01-30, 11:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarpObscura

Does the "Alex" in RX-78NT1 mean anything? Is it just the name of one of the relatives of someone on the design crew?

It, like many other names (say the GP line), is likely just a developmental codename, ie it's not supposed to make sense. Think of things like Windows "Longhorn" (never intended to go to market with that name) or even the term "tank" (originally given to the land battleships as a means of masking their production by hiding them in water tank production manifests so German spies wouldn't know what was up during WW1, it just happened to stick). They're names given so that the developers have something to call it without giving anything away. RX-78-NT 1 "Alex", RX-78-2 "Gundam", RX-78GP01 "Zephyranthes", none of the codenames actually say anything about the suit's capabilities or intentions.

IIRC, yes, Zakus are named after the Japanese "sound" for a heavy person walking.

"Leo" is lion. Like most OZ suits, it's named after a sign of the Greek Zodiac (Tragos is the only exception among their production units, I think the speculation is it stands in for Capricorn, though I could be off). Likely intended to be "king of the battlefield" where a lion is "king of the jungle".

Soluzar · 2006-01-30, 12:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

RICK DIAS (Seriously who the hell is Rick?? I mean Rick must be one bad mofo to build such a lightweight yet sturdy MS...Didn't see too many mexicans in Zeta, but perhaps...)

I was once told that "Rick" meant an improved model in Gundam. Rick Dom > Dom, and presumably Rick Dias > Dias.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarpObscura

Hyaku Shiki - "Type 100"... Well, it certainly failed in that expectation...

Eh? What? How did it fail?

J_Ridden · 2006-01-30, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soluzar

I was once told that "Rick" meant an improved model in Gundam. Rick Dom > Dom, and presumably Rick Dias > Dias.

Not "improved", but redesigned for space. You don't see any Rick Dom on Earth because the hoover jets were replaced by regular thrusters (but Rick Dias still fights well on Earth though).
I don't think there is such a model as Dias, since it was originaly intended to be named Gundam Gamma.

Hyaku Shiki - Type 100: I've read somewhere that the creators of the Hyaku Shiki expected it to last 100 years (don't know if it's official touhgh). If I remember correctly, the suit survived the 1st Neo Zeon war (while Zeta and Mk II were destroyed), and we don't know what happened to it thereafter...

Edit: I checked about the Hyaku Shiki: "Hyaku Shiki stands for 'Type 100' in Japanese; this is explained in-series as the designer hoping to create a mobile suit design that would endure for a hundred years."

It's from Wikipedia so I don't know if we really can rely on that.

Demongod86 · 2006-01-30, 12:57

Actually, WD, there was no SEED gundam...ever. Perhaps the SEED gundam became the FREEDOM gundam, but not sure about that one. As for tallgeese....ehhh...well...it's tall, and does it have a goose on its shield? O_o?

Soluzar · 2006-01-30, 16:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_Ridden

Not "improved", but redesigned for space. You don't see any Rick Dom on Earth because the hoover jets were replaced by regular thrusters (but Rick Dias still fights well on Earth though).
I don't think there is such a model as Dias, since it was originaly intended to be named Gundam Gamma.

In any case, that is the reason for that vaguely "XD" name.

Quote:

Hyaku Shiki - Type 100: I've read somewhere that the creators of the Hyaku Shiki expected it to last 100 years (don't know if it's official touhgh). If I remember correctly, the suit survived the 1st Neo Zeon war (while Zeta and Mk II were destroyed), and we don't know what happened to it thereafter...

Edit: I checked about the Hyaku Shiki: "Hyaku Shiki stands for 'Type 100' in Japanese; this is explained in-series as the designer hoping to create a mobile suit design that would endure for a hundred years."

I don't recall any such quote in Zeta. It is simply the serial number of the suit. Are we quite sure that the author of that Wiki didn't just pull that info out of his rear thruster? Each suit has a model number, and MSN-00100 was the one given to the Hyaku Shiki. The kanji which make up the name Hyaku Shiki translate quite literally to "Type 100". The suit was definitely not intended to last 100 years anyway, since it was just one of the many prototypes that were tested before they came up with the Zeta Gundam.

It's from Wikipedia so I don't know if we really can rely on that.[/QUOTE]

J_Ridden · 2006-01-30, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soluzar

I don't recall any such quote in Zeta. It is simply the serial number of the suit. Are we quite sure that the author of that Wiki didn't just pull that info out of his rear thruster?

I think the same. There's no such quote in Zeta, and I'm pretty sure there isn't one in ZZ either. The suit itself probably ended up in Grey Stoke's (aka Judau Ashta) salvaged mobiles suits collection

WarpObscura · 2006-01-30, 18:53

^Actually, it be fo' true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GundamOfficial Hyaku Shiki profile

Its name, which means "Type 100," reflects both its model number and the ambition of its designer Dr. Nagano that this mobile suit would last a hundred years.

Straight from GundamOfficial. About as official as we can get, eh.

Anyone have any idea why Char never renamed the Sazabi? Perhaps to Sada/eikun?

Android raptor · 2006-01-30, 18:56

I know the Apsaras series of MAs was named after a race of all-female nymphs (with mother-like qualities) from Hindu mythology...

2006-01-29, 23:52	Link #1
WarpObscura Bibliophile Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: There's this dot on the world map...	MS name significance One thing that has me confused is the large variety of names of MS in Gundam. Some of them seem to make less sense than others. Gundam Development Project - All named after flowers... But they do not seem to correspond to the characteristics their namesake plants have... PMX units - Messala is a character in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Asterisk (WTF?)... Pallace/Pallas Athene seems to refer to Athena... Bolinoak Sammahn (WTF?) seems to lack non-Gundam references... The O is the nickname of The Original Hot Dog Shop (WTF?) Gyan - Some yoda thing, some "Global Youth Action Network" thing, etc. (WTF?) Gaza - There is a Gaza Strip, but that seems to have absolutely no relationship with the Axis/Neo Zeon line of TMS... Hyaku Shiki - "Type 100"... Well, it certainly failed in that expectation... Nemo - I fail to see what this has to do with 20000 Leagues Under The Sea's Captain Nemo... Methuss - No findable non-Gundam references on my end... Definitely in no order... Well, there are simply far too many for me to list... So if anyone could help to correlate the MS name to its namesake and how it fits (or does not), that would be much appreciated. Please leave the Greek-Letter Gundams (Zeta, Nu, Xi, whatever else) out, thank you.

2006-01-30, 02:07	Link #2
wingdarkness Retweet Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: ニュー・オーリンズ、LA	Damn can't remember who, but before the hack sombody listed alot of the name correlations as it pertains to Gundams and characters...Some of the material I've read seems to suggest that nearly every name and Gundam has a specific reasoning and//or cultural significance behind it...I remember someone talking about Djbril's name meaning Dark Angel or something in Hebrew or some other middle-eastern derivitive... DESTINY might be the funniest MS name for the simple fact it has the dubious distinction of being the first full-series Gundam ever that has the same name of the series yet isn't the title-Gundam...Where's VCV when you need him, I think he knows a bit about this... Since there's no way I can help you, I thought maybe I'd mention some MS names I wish I knew what they meant... PROVIDENCE (Just sounds so cool...That $hit's a city in Rhode Island) BLITZ (Most underrated MS in the C.E. and i guess a pretty damn good Linebacker) TALLGEESE (Mosty elegant MS around) Gundam PHYSALIS, DENDROBIUM and ZEPHYRANTHES (???????????????????) ALPHA AZIERU and SAZABI (CCA...Both ridiculously impressive designs and capabilities...So big and blocky yet so agile and armament heavy...) RICK DIAS (Seriously who the hell is Rick?? I mean Rick must be one bad mofo to build such a lightweight yet sturdy MS...Didn't see too many mexicans in Zeta, but perhaps...) HAMMA HAMMA (from ZZ, isn't that like "hummuna hummuna" what Peter Griffen says when he is about to say something outlandish?) and finally HIZACK (Did "Zaku" lose in marbles or something that year?? ) There are so many more I can list (like damn near every suit name in Victory), but that's enuff for now... __________________ Fly since ↔...

2006-01-30, 03:45	Link #7
wingdarkness Retweet Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: ニュー・オーリンズ、LA	Dang, you seem pretty good at this Warp, you're answering your own question... Guess i'll throw out a couple more...maybe you know those too... GELGOOG Z'GoK (Battleship) Gwaden GARPLANT (Piloted by Yazan the "love-to hate" Oldtype) GEDLEV (shakes-head) And no I'm not reading a MS dictionary I actually thought of all these "G"-GUNDAMS ... It seems like GX has alot of understandable named suits.... X, DOUBLE-X, AIRMASTER, LEOPARD (hmm relationship to Leo? ), G-falcon, Wallaby...morso than the other series me thinks... @mangatron - I guess you mean Rick Dees the Pop DJ...and I should be sent to the Zanscare Guillotine for knowing that ... __________________ Fly since ↔...

2006-01-30, 02:50	Link #3
WarpObscura Bibliophile Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: There's this dot on the world map...	Jibreel, also spelt "Jabril" or "Djibril", is Arabic for Gabriel. In Islam, Jibreel is the angel who revealed the Qur'an/Koran to Muhammad, amongst other achievements, and is thus considered the most prominent. Providence refers to the concept of the control of the deity/ies over the followers of a religion. In a way, it is suitable for a Rau-machine, given that he wanted to have control by making both EAF and ZAFT blow each other up. Blitz is German for lightning, flash and a host of other things. It is supposed to be a fast, agile suit, which it seems to be in its stealth role. Tallgeese... No idea. Geese are not very fast-flying birds, for one... All four (yes, including Gerbera) Gundam Project Gundams are named after flowers. Zephyranthes is a genus of 70 species of lilies, native to both American continents. Physalis aka ground/winter-cherry is a flowering plant that has an orange fruit, found in subtropical climates. Dendrobium is a large genus (~1200 species) of orchids, found in diverse habitats. Gerbera is a genus belonging to the sunflower family. How they correlate to their MS, I do not know. Azieru is peculiar, but what is interesting is the name of Sazabi. Why Char never took the name of the Zabi family out of it, we may never know. Rick is, according to MAHQ, derived from "remake", just like with Rick Dom and Dom. Dias is supposed to supposed to be the guy who discovered the Cape of Good Hope. Why there is only a Rick Dias, and no MS-099 Dias, we may never know either. Well, yeah...

2006-01-30, 02:50	Link #4
~~mangatron~~ worshipping the pantyhose Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Manila, Philippines	lol wingdarkness, the 0083 Gundam's were named after flowers. I'm so glad they didn't name one "Zinnia", lol it reminds me of a friend in Germany who had that name. And he's male Closest I can come up with for Rick Dias is Ricky Deez, a commentator. Heavyarms has got to be the most descriptive name ever LOL And a Winged Gundam? Yeah, Wing Gundam did have wings .... I can't get over "Leo". I mean, Leonardo Di Caprio sure didn't have a hand in this, and leave that Da Vinci out of this lol Did "Dom" mean anything? At least GSD did make something out of it There are others to discuss ......

2006-01-30, 03:02	Link #5
WarpObscura Bibliophile Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: There's this dot on the world map...	Dom can be short for "Document Object Model", a specification for representation of Web hypermedia, but what does THAT have to do with it? Why do they call Gouf Custom and GM Custom "Custom" when they are not basic MS that have been "Custom"-ised by specific pilots for superior performance? Does the "Alex" in RX-78NT1 mean anything? Is it just the name of one of the relatives of someone on the design crew? Types in "Adzam" on Google, hits "I'm feeling lucky "Adzam Auto Sales is a New Year Chrysler dealer". WTF?

2006-01-30, 06:54	Link #8
WarpObscura Bibliophile Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: There's this dot on the world map...	I know where the names of the GP Gundams come from, but I do not see how the Gundams MATCH UP to the characteristics of their originating flowers. There is supposed to be significance to the names, but I do not see how the origin corresponds to what it can do. That is the issue here. Leopard is supposed to suggest something adept at hunting, and I wonder if it fulfills the role as a hunter (vis-a-vis an artilleryman)... Wallaby suggests a child hiding in a pouch. You do not see Daughtress HMs floating around in pouches, do you? Hmm... If anyone knows the naming trend for Scirocco's PMX series, please do inform us...

2006-01-30, 10:05	Link #11
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Age: 39	Gelgoog Jager means Gelgoog Hunter (rough translation). Kampher comes out as fighter or champion. I remember hearing that Zakus were named Zakus because that's the sound they make when they walk, but I can't remember who it was who said that. I want to say it was Tomino in an interview. Edit: I think Dom had something to do with cathederal.

2006-01-30, 12:57	Link #16
Demongod86 Gundam Boobs and Boom FTW Join Date: Dec 2005	Actually, WD, there was no SEED gundam...ever. Perhaps the SEED gundam became the FREEDOM gundam, but not sure about that one. As for tallgeese....ehhh...well...it's tall, and does it have a goose on its shield? O_o?

2006-01-30, 18:56	Link #20
Android raptor Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005	I know the Apsaras series of MAs was named after a race of all-female nymphs (with mother-like qualities) from Hindu mythology...